Replacing Wife's Car becoming a Pain in the - F-Body Road Racing and Autocross Forums

Time to give the Bravada a new home. GM rounded up the GM Card earnings and I'm fearing the repairs to come on the Bravada. My Dad has one (same year & options) and he dumped a lot into it around 100,000 miles (AWD and trans both took dumps about that time) and our Bravadas have tracked eerily similar as far as repairs go, with mine always going bad 6-12 months later since we're about 12,000 miles behind him.

She wants gas mileage, cargo space, room for 4 adults (her parents), a hitch for bicycles, and an elevated driving position. She'd really prefer it to not resemble a wagon or minvan. It also has to fit in the garage, which isn't that big. Essentially, she wants her Bravada again, just a new one that isn't tripping the SES light, doesn't need an idler arm, doesn't like to start in the real cold, and won't need to have the AWD and trans serviced sooner than later.

Trailblazer/Envoy - no mpg improvement over Bravada, gets pricey fast with decent options, would have to go 2wd.
Equinox/Torrent - Chinese motor that really does sound like a sewing machine. Interior not all that comfortable, though spacious. Lack of convenience options relative to Bravada. Wife hates the red dash in the Pontiac, I hate the cheaper looking interior of the Equinox. Rear glass doesn't open and the hatch when opened hits the opened garage door.
Maxx LTZ- All the little toys, very good mileage, most comfortable, really bad resale, needs aftermarket hitch and roof rack for bikes and outdoor gear. Looks goofier than heck (understatement), 2nd cheapest.
Escape/Tribute - Sucker is noisy, I never got completely comfortable on test drives, but it's compact, has the only true fold flat rear, and it's the cheapest since I found a leftover 05 with big rebates. It did handle/drive better than the Torrent/Equinox though.
6 Hatchback - Cargo room was amazing, rear passenger room sucked. Fun to drive, but she didn't like the red dash lights and she heard a rattle in the rear during the test drive.
HHR - The whole thing is awkward. Not for 4 adults, not for a tall adult driver.
Pacifica - Found a new 05 for great price, but the dang thing is too long for our garage unless we sell our bikes and my tool chest. She liked it, but we're not selling tools or bikes or building a new garage.
6 wagon, Magnum wagon, - She refuses to look because she grew up in a wagon family.
Vibe - Drove this because nothing else tripped our trigger, it was parked next to the Torrent and thought the low price & high mpg would be worth the tradeoff. It was a short test drive.

Looks like I may be gambling on the Bravada holding out. How frustrating this has been. Nothing out there is as appealing/comfortable to us as a platform that's 20 years old and hasn't been made (in 4 doors) in 4 years. Ugh. Okay, I'm done venting. It's just sad that the new RAV 4 appears to be so far above the American manufacturers and the Mazda's that are at least made in the USA.

Absolut Speed View Member Profile	Feb 23 2006, 04:40 PM Post #1
Advanced Member Group: Advanced Members Posts: 588 Joined: 23-December 03 From: Sterling, IL Member No.: 7	Time to give the Bravada a new home. GM rounded up the GM Card earnings and I'm fearing the repairs to come on the Bravada. My Dad has one (same year & options) and he dumped a lot into it around 100,000 miles (AWD and trans both took dumps about that time) and our Bravadas have tracked eerily similar as far as repairs go, with mine always going bad 6-12 months later since we're about 12,000 miles behind him. She wants gas mileage, cargo space, room for 4 adults (her parents), a hitch for bicycles, and an elevated driving position. She'd really prefer it to not resemble a wagon or minvan. It also has to fit in the garage, which isn't that big. Essentially, she wants her Bravada again, just a new one that isn't tripping the SES light, doesn't need an idler arm, doesn't like to start in the real cold, and won't need to have the AWD and trans serviced sooner than later. Trailblazer/Envoy - no mpg improvement over Bravada, gets pricey fast with decent options, would have to go 2wd. Equinox/Torrent - Chinese motor that really does sound like a sewing machine. Interior not all that comfortable, though spacious. Lack of convenience options relative to Bravada. Wife hates the red dash in the Pontiac, I hate the cheaper looking interior of the Equinox. Rear glass doesn't open and the hatch when opened hits the opened garage door. Maxx LTZ- All the little toys, very good mileage, most comfortable, really bad resale, needs aftermarket hitch and roof rack for bikes and outdoor gear. Looks goofier than heck (understatement), 2nd cheapest. Escape/Tribute - Sucker is noisy, I never got completely comfortable on test drives, but it's compact, has the only true fold flat rear, and it's the cheapest since I found a leftover 05 with big rebates. It did handle/drive better than the Torrent/Equinox though. 6 Hatchback - Cargo room was amazing, rear passenger room sucked. Fun to drive, but she didn't like the red dash lights and she heard a rattle in the rear during the test drive. HHR - The whole thing is awkward. Not for 4 adults, not for a tall adult driver. Pacifica - Found a new 05 for great price, but the dang thing is too long for our garage unless we sell our bikes and my tool chest. She liked it, but we're not selling tools or bikes or building a new garage. 6 wagon, Magnum wagon, - She refuses to look because she grew up in a wagon family. Vibe - Drove this because nothing else tripped our trigger, it was parked next to the Torrent and thought the low price & high mpg would be worth the tradeoff. It was a short test drive. Looks like I may be gambling on the Bravada holding out. How frustrating this has been. Nothing out there is as appealing/comfortable to us as a platform that's 20 years old and hasn't been made (in 4 doors) in 4 years. Ugh. Okay, I'm done venting. It's just sad that the new RAV 4 appears to be so far above the American manufacturers and the Mazda's that are at least made in the USA.

sgarnett View Member Profile	Feb 24 2006, 01:03 PM Post #2
Seeking round tuits Group: Advanced Members Posts: 5,522 Joined: 24-December 03 From: Kentucky Member No.: 33	QUOTE (Absolut Speed @ Feb 23 2006, 06:16 PM) That's the problem, she wants an SUV with car-like gas mileage, but no wagons allowed! Yeah, there's really no way to get great gas mileage from a heavy vehicle with poor aerodynamics. A coworker went from S10 Blazer to Trailblazer to Toureg fairly quickly. He's young, single, and got his C5 paid off, so his daily driver budget improved dramatically (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) The Toureg is just way too expensive, but it's nice. I liked the Trailblazer, and if I'd known he was going to trade it I might have offered to buy it for Denice. The Trailblazer was a huge improvement over the Blazer, and while it may not be ideal for real offroad use, it seemed to drive well and was comfortable. Denice's car is overdue for replacement, and my Camaro will be paid off at the end of the year. I would like to get into a pattern of buying a new (or close to it) car for her that will "trickle down" to me after it's paid for (ie keep wife and child in the most reliable car) instead of taking turns, but she doesn't want anything "good". Personally, I'd like to get her a stock 2002 low mileage Formula, put good shocks and narrow all-season tires on it (she's not capable of "taking it easy" on true ice tires), and call it a day, or maybe get her a 2006 Miata (more leg room than earlier models), but she's not going for it (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) What about a Subaru Forester? It's kind of in the "crossover" category, and doesn't look as wagon-like as a WRX. Maybe she'd go for it (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)